Travels Abroad, Part 1 of 3
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After four and a half months abroad, our journey around the world is finally coming to an end. It has been the most fun and illuminating experience of our lives.
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One hundred and thirty three days outside of the United States have taught us to be thankful for so many things. We’re grateful to have a roof above our head, a bed (or a van) to sleep in, clothes to keep us warm, potable drinking water on tap at any time, a clean place to use the restroom, air conditioning, heating, public transportation, not having to live in filth, not having to breathe pollution in our homes, not having to learn a foreign language simply to make enough money from tourists to feed your family, the wealth that comes with being an American, the freedom to practice our beliefs, the freedom to speak our mind, the freedom to call our country’s leader a total piece of shit without being put in prison, the privilege that comes with being a young white male with a high metabolism and a comfortable safety net, the joy of having friends, the love that a family provides, the unbelievably wonderful feeling of having someone in your life who wants to spend forever with you.
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We live in a time when we can learn the accumulated history of humankind by pulling a metal block out of our pockets and typing a few words into it, we can soar over oceans and venture to new lands, we can eat food that was cultivated in an exotic rainforest on the other side of the world. We live in a time when we can eliminate the diseases that tear the skin from our children, we can have a live conversation with a human from another part of the planet through a colorful screen that transmits information instantly, we can figure out what bus, train, and plane to take to whatever hotel in whatever city by simply saying “hey google.”
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Every morning Ash and I declare three things we are grateful for. To be breathing is a miracle. Count yourself lucky. Know what you have and know what you’ve been given. And don’t forget to smile!